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HARRIET TUBMAN
AND THE END OF SLAVERY
NICKNAMED THE ‘MOSES OF HER
PEOPLE’ FOR LEADING RUNAWAY
SLAVES TO FREEDOM IN THE NORTH,
HARRIET TUBMAN WAS THE MOST
FAMOUS MEMBER OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. SHE BECAME A
CELEBRITY IN HER LIFETIME AND A
HERO OF THE CIVIL WAR.
The Underground Railroad was
a secret system of anti-slavery activists providing food, shelter, transportation, and protection for
runaway slaves on their dangerous
journey north. Most historians
credit Tubman with personally leading more than 300 former slaves to
freedom on the Underground Railroad and rallying hundreds more to
defect from Confederate forces during the Civil War.
The year of her birth is unknown. Tubman believed it was
1825. Her death certificate gives
1815 as her date of birth, but her
gravestone reads 1820. Regardless,
she was born in Maryland’s Dorchester County to slave parents, Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross.
They named their daughter Araminta Ross. Later, when she escaped
to the North, she took the name
Harriet to honor her mother and
mask her own identity.
She was one of nine children,
many of whom she would later lead
north. Slave traders often purchased
young slaves in Dorchester County,
and they routinely separated members of slave families. Traders took
away two of Tubman’s siblings, and
it’s likely that the painful loss of her
sisters drove her later to work with
the Underground Railroad.
At just 5 years old, Tubman was
taken from her home to look after a
white infant. When the child cried,
Tubman was whipped, leaving
6
Wikimedia Commons
The Making of a Fugitive
Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves to
freedom on the Underground Railroad.
scars on her neck and back for the
rest of her life.
As a young girl, Tubman
bounced between several households, serving various masters and
mistresses. She fled one home after
getting caught stealing a lump of
sugar. She hid in a pigpen for days,
fighting the swine for scraps of
food until she grew so hungry that
she returned to face punishment at
the hands of her mistress. Later in
life, Tubman would sum up the indignities of her childhood by saying she was “a neglected weed,
ignorant of liberty.”
U.S. HISTORY
She often fought illness in her
childhood, but as she grew older,
the “sickly” young household girl
grew stronger and even became a
fieldhand. On a secluded plantation during her adolescence, Tubman attempted to warn an
escaping slave that his master was
nearby. She was caught between
the slave and his master when the
two confronted each other. The
master slung a lead weight at the
escapee, but hit Tubman in the
head. The force of the blow “broke
her skull and drove a piece of her
bandana” into her head. The head
injury would cause her to have
headaches, fainting spells, and visions for the rest of her life.
In 1844, she married a free
black man named John Tubman.
Around this time, she hired a
lawyer to investigate her family’s
slave contracts. The lawyer found
her mother should have been freed
at the age of 45, meaning that
some of her siblings should have
been born free.
Escape North
The revelation about her mother
angered and saddened Tubman, so
she decided to do what she had
thought about for years: flee to the
North. In September 1849, she
made off. She was one of about 280
slaves who escaped Maryland from
June 1849 to June 1850.
Tubman became so closely linked
to the Underground Railroad that
many assume she founded it, but by
the 1840s a system of clandestine
routes already existed. Women rarely
made the dangerous journey alone,
but Tubman, with her husband’s
blessing, set out by herself.
Throughout her life, Tubman
treated the details of her escape
as a secret. Freed slaves were intentionally secretive about how
they escaped, so as not to reveal
precious escape routes. Historians suspect Tubman took the
Courtesy of Michael Siegel, Geography Department-Rutgers University
most common “liberty line” of
the Underground Railroad, which
cut inland through Delaware along
the Choptank River.
Fugitives, or runaways, on the
Choptank liberty line traveled by
foot at night and rested during the
day, generally doing about 10 miles
a night on the roughly 90-mile
journey to the Pennsylvania state
line. The trip usually took between
10 to 20 days.
Since it was called a “railroad,”
many of its elements were known
by common railroad terms. People
who gave shelter to fugitives were
called “stationmasters,” and their
homes were known as “stations” or
“depots.” The volunteers who
guided fugitives between stations
were “conductors,” and the fugitives
themselves were called “cargo.”
The railroad was “underground” in the sense that it was
clandestine. Its routes, safe houses,
and the identity of participants
were closely guarded secrets. Over
time, the Underground Railroad developed an elaborate system of
catchphrases, code words, secret
knocks, lamps lit at night, and
hymns to warn of slave catchers
and to identify sympathizers.
The gateway for runaway slaves
heading north was Philadelphia,
which had a strong Underground
Railroad network. The city attracted
abolitionists and upwardly mobile
African Americans. Here, free
blacks formed their own businesses, schools, and churches. Tubman got a job and was able to live
freely. She also likely expanded her
network, meeting Underground
Railroad members and activists.
But life in Philadelphia was not
easy. Philadelphia was the last stop
for recaptured slaves being shipped
back south. Slave catchers raided
black communities and were
prominent in Philadelphia. Fear of
recapture among fugitives was
constant, and racial tensions ran
When Harriet Tubman first escaped, she probably followed the route that passes near
Dover and leads to Philadelphia.
high. Tubman found herself feeling
lonely and frustrated by the uncertainty of freedom.
By the late 1840s, slave owners
claimed they were losing $200,000
annually to the Underground Railroad. (This would be about $4.5
million in today’s money.) In 1850,
Congress passed the Fugitive Slave
Law, which opponents dubbed the
“Bloodhound Law.” The law gave
federal authorities sweeping powers to seize fugitives and return
them to the South. Without legal
protection, even free blacks were at
risk. As former slaves were
plucked out of unlikely places like
New York and Boston, anger grew
in the anti-slavery community. The
issue of slavery increasingly divided the nation.
U.S. HISTORY
The Abductor
Within the growing climate of
fear and persecution, Tubman, most
likely still in her teens, undertook
her legendary career as an “abductor.” Abductors, true folk heroes of
the Underground Railroad, ventured
into slave states and led fugitives
out. Prior to Tubman, most abductors were adventurous white men.
Tubman was five feet tall, illiterate,
and a fugitive, with little idea of geography and subject to frequent
fainting spells.
Tubman’s first rescue mission
was prompted by news that her
niece Keziah would be sold into
slavery in the Deep South. Keziah’s
husband, John Bowley, sent word to
Tubman in Philadelphia of the pending sale. In 1850, risking capture,
7
Tubman returned to the slave state
of Maryland. Bowley delivered
Keziah and her children to Tubman
in Baltimore, where she hid them
before using her contacts to move
the fugitives into Philadelphia.
She went south a second time
in the spring of 1851 to rescue one
of her brothers. Two of his fellow
slaves joined their expedition. In
the fall of 1851, Tubman returned
to Dorchester County to persuade
her husband to return north with
her. The risk of being recognized
by a former master was enormous,
and the result, heartbreaking. John
Tubman refused to flee with her as
he had taken another wife.
Despite her grief, Tubman completely committed herself to the task
of freeing slaves. She returned to
Maryland in December 1851, rallying a large band of fugitives. Reports
indicate there were as many as 11,
among them relatives. Tubman led
them north to Philadelphia, but the
new border of freedom had been
pushed still further north by the
Fugitive Slave Law. Tubman moved
into uncharted territory, guiding her
group up through New York to Niagara and into the new promised
land of Canada.
It was far easier to lead small
groups, or for slaves to flee on their
own. But Tubman became a master
at organizing large groups. She sent
word ahead through the Underground Railroad network of upcoming missions, and she quickly
assembled groups of fugitives.
Thomas Garrett, a stationmaster in Wilmington, Delaware, sheltered many of Tubman’s groups at
a blacksmith shop. While many
stationmasters destroyed their
records of fugitive slaves to avoid
prosecution, Garrett’s records remain. A Quaker who believed in
the equality of all people before
God, Garrett sheltered some 2,500
fugitives, scores of whom had been
under Tubman’s care.
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Starting in 1852, Tubman made
one or two trips a year, shepherding
fugitives through the night. She famously toted a pistol and was
known to point it at fugitives who
threatened to turn back and put the
entire band at risk. “You’ll be free or
die,” she would say to them.
She often worked in winter
when the days were short, facing
darkness and bad weather on the exhausting and perilous journey into
Maryland and Virginia. The Underground Railroad’s path then took her
back through stations in Wilmington, Philadelphia, New York, and on
to the Canadian border. During this
time, Underground Railroad members and anti-slavery admirers gave
her the nickname “Moses.”
General Tubman
As the numbers of fugitives she
rescued swelled, so did her fame.
Tubman was a celebrity among the
elite abolitionists of Boston and
New York.
Southern authorities fumed as
they failed at efforts to “end her
reign.” In 1856, a $40,000 reward
was offered for her recapture in the
South. Once, she overheard men
reading a wanted poster that mentioned her illiteracy. She cleverly
pretended to read a book to avoid
being recognized. She not only
eluded capture, but later in life she
claimed that she never lost a single
slave on any of her missions.
It was far easier to
lead small groups, or
for slaves to flee on
their own. But Tubman
became a master at
organizing large groups.
She had become a devout
Christian in her childhood. Her
strong faith and uncanny ability to
avoid capture also earned her a
U.S. HISTORY
reputation as a mystic, or person in
direct contact with God.
Tubman helped her own family
gain freedom. She was able to
guide five of her siblings to St.
Catharines, outside present-day
Toronto, Canada. In 1857, her parents were technically free, but faced
penalties for sheltering slaves in
their Maryland home. Knowing her
parents were in danger but not
physically strong, Tubman fashioned a primitive horse-carriage and
carried them 80 miles to Garrett’s
safe house in Wilmington. Garrett
supplied them with train tickets to
Canada, where they joined their
children and grandchildren. Tubman spent time there gathering
funds for missions to the South.
In 1859, Tubman got help from
Senator William Seward, a highprofile admirer of Tubman’s work.
Seward, who later became Lincoln’s secretary of state, sold Tubman a small piece of land in
Auburn, New York, for a home,
and Tubman moved her parents
and siblings there from Canada.
But just as it looked like she might
settle down, firebrand abolitionist
John Brown sought her out in
Canada. He called her “General
Tubman.” She supported his mission to wage war to end slavery.
Brown’s plan involved raiding
the U.S. arsenal, or weapons storage, at Harper’s Ferry. He wanted
to arm slaves to fight their masters.
Tubman began to raise money and
gather former slaves in Canada to
help with the raid, but she fell sick
before she could participate herself.
Brown’s poorly planned mission
failed, and he was hanged at the
gallows. Brown’s execution, however, made him a martyr for the
abolitionist cause.
Meanwhile, slave owners complained of a “stampede” of slaves
to the North. Abolitionists feared
Tubman would be executed, just
like Brown, if ever recaptured.
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was
elected president. The slaveholding
South viewed him as an abolitionist, though he did not think of himself that way. He opposed slavery,
but his main goal was to stop the
spread of slavery into new American territories. Beginning with
South Carolina on December 20,
1860, Southern states began to secede from the Union and in 1861
formed the rebellious Confederate
States of America. In April, the
Confederate Army’s attack on Fort
Sumter in South Carolina began
the Civil War.
While Lincoln’s primary aim
was to keep the country from splitting apart, Tubman and other activists were convinced the war
should put an end to slavery. “God
won’t let Master Lincoln beat the
South,” she was quoted while
fundraising in Massachusetts, “till
he does the right thing.” The right
thing was to abolish slavery.
Tubman used her detailed knowledge of routes through swamps,
rivers, and wetlands to help Union
troops in Maryland. Later, she sailed
to South Carolina, extending her liberty lines into the Deep South as the
war raged. She spent much of her
time caring for fugitives and guiding
them back north.
Tubman wanted to join the military. Through influential abolitionist friends, Tubman met the
abolitionist governor of Massachusetts, John Albion Andrew. In response to a Union general’s request
for volunteers, Andrew said that
Tubman would be “a valuable person to operate within enemy lines
in procuring information and
scouts.” At first, however, Tubman
worked as a cook and a nurse in
Union camps. She also taught
slaves freed by the Army.
Early on, Lincoln opposed arming freed slaves, but Tubman enthusiastically supported bringing
Wikimedia Conmmons
Daring and Tenacity
In the Civil War, Tubman worked tirelessly, leading a team of spies and even raiding plantations.
them into the U.S. Army. With the
Emancipation Proclamation in
1863, the first black troops of the
Army appeared ready for battle.
Tubman then joined, too. She became the leader of a team of spies,
sending valuable information to
commanders and recruiting restless
slaves in the South to join Union
forces.
On June 1, 1863, Tubman aided
a mission of black soldiers up the
Combahee River in South Carolina
to take supplies and free slaves
from plantations controlled by
rebels. Serving as navigator on the
U.S. HISTORY
lead gunboat, Tubman took charge.
The raid on the plantations freed at
least 750 slaves. Tubman was the
only woman in the Civil War to
plan and lead an armed assault.
The Wisconsin State Journal
soon published an article about her
titled “A Black She ‘Moses’ — Her
Wonderful Daring and Tenacity.”
But the article did not use her
name. The Boston Commonwealth
newspaper reprinted the article.
The editor let his readers know that
the “black heroine” of the story
was Harriet Tubman.
9
Wikimedia Conmmons
Booker T. Washington gave the eulogy at her funeral.
During her lifetime, she had become widely known. In 1869, a biography of her sold well. Though
criticized for inaccuracies, the book
spread her fame, and she was invited many places to speak about
her experiences with the Underground Railroad and the war. Many
biographies have been written
since. Although for a period after
her death, her story lapsed into obscurity, it has since risen into the
stuff of legend.
Tubman (far left) poses for a photograph with her family and neighbors in Auburn, N.Y.
Continued Struggle
When the war ended in 1865,
Tubman returned to Auburn to live
with her parents and siblings. Although she struggled financially,
Tubman opened her home to people in need. Her former husband,
John Tubman, was gunned down
in 1867 by a white man in Maryland. She then married Nelson
Davis, a veteran of Civil War from
the U.S. Colored Troops, the black
soldiers of the U.S. Army.
Tubman, who had survived
slavery, illness, heartbreak, and
even battle, experienced hardship
in her later life. Even with the help
of powerful friends like William Seward, it took 30 years for Tubman
to receive payment for her wartime
services from the U.S. Army. She
also struggled to receive widow’s
benefits when Nelson Davis died.
In 1896, Tubman bought the
land where she and Nelson had
lived to create a home for aging,
poor African Americans. With only
a $20 per month pension, she
could not afford upkeep of the
property. She donated the land to
the African Methodist Episcopal
Zion Church. The Harriet Tubman
Home officially opened in 1908.
In the meantime, Tubman became active in the women’s suffrage,
or voting rights, movement alongside
10
Susan B. Anthony and others. As a
war hero, Tubman stood as an example of equality between women and
men. She spoke at suffrage meetings
throughout the Eastern states and
also used her respected status to continue speaking out for equality for
African Americans.
Former slave and influential
abolitionist Frederick Douglass admired her greatly and wrote about
her. After lengthy bouts with illness, Tubman died in 1913. Prominent African American reformer
DISCUSSION AND WRITING
1. Why do you think it was called
the Underground Railroad?
2. What was the Fugitive Slave
Law? What effects did it have
on the Underground Railroad?
3. What made Harriet Tubman an
unlikely person to be a leader?
What do you think motivated
her? Explain.
4. Tubman made many decisions
in her life. Which do you think
was the bravest? Which do you
think was the most questionable? Explain your answers.
ACTIVITY
The Traits of Leadership
Harriet Tubman was a great leader. In this activity, students discuss
what makes a great leader and evaluate Tubman’s leadership qualities.
1. Form small groups.
2. Each group should:
a. Discuss traits that leaders should have.
b. Choose the five most essential traits of a leader.
c. Evaluate Harriet Tubman’s leadership based on these five traits.
d. Discuss what other leadership traits Tubman possessed.
e. Be prepared to report your conclusions and reasons for them
to the class.
3. Call on groups to report their conclusions and hold a class
discussion on the traits of leadership.
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U.S. HISTORY
Sources
Standards
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I
Cavendish, R. “Elizabeth I’s ‘Golden’ Speech.” History Today. vol. 51
issue 11, 2001. · Doran, S. Queen Elizabeth I. NY: NYU Pr., 2003. · Dunn,
J. Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. NY: Alfred A. Knopf,
2004. · Greenblatt, S. “Elizabeth I.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2013. ·
Haigh, C. Elizabeth I. 2nd ed. London: Longman, 1998. · Levin, C. The
Reign of Elizabeth I. NY: Palgrave, 2002. · Richards, J. Elizabeth I. London: Routledge, 2012. · Starkey, D. Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne.
NY: Harper Collins, 2001.
National High School World History Standard 27: Understands how European society experienced political, economic, and cultural transformations in an age of
global intercommunication between 1450 and 1750. (2) Understands causes
and the major political, social, and economic consequences of the religious wars in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the legacy of
these wars in modern Europe.
California History-Social Science Standard 7.9: Students analyze the historical developments of the Reformation. (4) Identify and locate the European regions that re-
mained Catholic and those that became Protestant and explain how the division
affected the distribution of religions in the New World.
Tubman
Bordewich, F. Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War
for the Soul of America. NY: Amistad, 2005. · Clinton, C. Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom. Boston: Little, Brown, 2004. · Edwards, O.
“Harriet Tubman’s Amazing Grace.”Smithsonian. 9/2010. · “Harriet Tubman.” Africans in America. PBS. URL: www.pbs.org · “Harriet Tubman
Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. URL: www.biography.com · Lowry, B. Harriet Tubman: Imagining a Life. NY: Doubleday,
2007. · Still, W. The Underground Railroad. NY: Arno, 1968. · Tobin, J.
et al. Hidden in Plain View: The Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. NY: Doubleday, 1999. · Wellington, Darryl Lorenzo.
“The Most Famous Abductor on the Underground Railroad.” Christian
Science Monitor. 1/20/2004.
Fisher
Aboud, L. “Race-Based Affirmative Action in Higher Education: Has a
Decade Made a Difference?” 4/1/2012. URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2149696 · Brodin, M., “The Fraudulent Case Against Affirmative
Action: The Untold Story Behind Fisher v. University of Texas.”
7/29/2013. URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2309544 · Clowney, S.
“Doing Affirmative Action.” Michigan Law Review First Impressions, Vol.
111, 2013. · Davis, Kimberly. “Following Fisher: Higher Ed Community
Assesses What’s Next for Affirmative Action in Wake of Supreme Court’s
Decision to Send Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin Back to Lower
Court.” Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 7/18/2013. · ___. “The Great
Race Debate.” Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 4/26/2012. · FindLaw
Supreme Court Decisions: Fisher v. University of Texas (2013), Gratz v.
Bollinger (2003), Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), Regents of the University of
California v. Bakke (1978). URL: www.findlaw.com · “Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.” SCOTUSblog. URL: http://www.scotusblog.com
· “Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.” A roundtable discussion. Vanderbilt Law Review. 7/2012. URL: www.vanderbiltlawreview.org ·
Garfield, L, “The Inevitable Irrelevance of Affirmative Action Jurisprudence.” 9/10/2012. URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2144238 · Goodwin,
M. “The Death of Affirmative Action?” Wisconsin Law Review.
6/24/2013. · Hu, Helen. “Debate over Affirmative Action in College Admissions Continues.” Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 10/25/2012. ·
“In Narrow Ruling, Supreme Court Vacates Decision That Upheld
Race-Conscious Admissions.” Chronicle of Higher Education. 6/24/2013.
URL: http://chronicle.com · Kahlenberg, R. “The New Affirmative Action: Race-Neutral Policies and Programs for Achieving Racial Diversity.”
University Business. 8/2013. · Kende, M. “Is Bakke Now a ‘Super-Precedent’ and Does It Matter? The U.S. Supreme Court’s Updated Constitutional Approach to Affirmative Action in Fisher.” 10/10/2013. URL:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2338679 · Kidder, W. “Misshaping the River:
Proposition 209 and Lessons for the Fisher Case.” 39 J of College and
University Law 53. 2013. · “Regents of U.C. v. Bakke (1978): Is Affirmative Action Constitutional?” Landmarks: Historic Supreme Court Decisions. Constitutional Rights Foundation. 2007. · Thompson, J. et al.
“Divisive Diversity at the University of Texas: An Opportunity for the
Supreme Court to Overturn its Flawed Decision in Grutter.” 4/5/2011.
URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1803475
Common Core Standard SL.11–12.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the
line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and
a range of formal and informal tasks.
Common Core Standard SL.11–12.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions . . . with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Tubman
National High School U.S. History Standard 12: Understands the sources and
character of cultural, religious, and social reform movements in the antebellum period. (1) Understands elements of slavery in both the North and
South during the antebellum period (e.g., ... how African American leaders fought for rights).
California History-Social Science Standard 8.9: Students analyze the early and steady
attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. (1) Describe the leaders of the movement (e.g., ... John Brown and the
armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad ...).
Common Core Standard SL.11–12.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions . . . with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Fisher
National High School Civics Standard 18: Understands the role and importance
of law in the American constitutional system and issues regarding the judicial
protection of individual rights. (2) Knows historical and contemporary prac-
tices that illustrate the central place of the rule of law.
National High School U.S. History Standard 31: Understands economic, social,
and cultural developments in the contemporary United States. (5) Understands
major contemporary social issues and the groups involved....
California History-Social Science Standard 11.11: Students analyze the major social problems and domestic policy issues in contemporary American society.
California History-Social Science Standard 12.5: Students summarize landmark
U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution and its amendments. (1)
Understand the changing interpretations of the Bill of Rights over time, including interpretations of ... the due process and equal-protection-of-the-law clauses
of the Fourteenth Amendment. (4) Explain the controversies that have resulted
over changing interpretations of civil rights, including those in ... Regents of the
University of California v. Bakke ...).
Common Core Standard WHST.11–12.9: Draw evidence from informational texts
to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Common Core Standard SL.11–12.4: Present information, findings, and supporting
evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed,
and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
Standards reprinted with permission: National Standards © 2000 McREL, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2550 S. Parker Road, Ste. 500, Aurora,
CO 80014, (303)337.0990.
California Standards copyrighted by the California Dept. of Education, P.O. Box
271, Sacramento, CA 95812.
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